Because the U.S. Open heats up, the ladies’s bracket is trying notably thrilling, with contenders like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Świątek, and crowd favorites like Naomi Osaka and a returning Serena Williams. However whoever comes out on high, the true winner this 12 months will be the Seventeenth-seeded Alex Eala of the Philippines.
Snagging the event’s iconic trophy can be a protracted shot for the 21-year-old. However beneath the media highlight of the season’s closing Grand Slam, Eala’s devoted, vocal, and fast-growing following is poised to make her one of many event’s champions with followers—and types—regardless of how she does on the court docket.
A 12 months in the past, most tennis fans most likely knew little about Eala; she was ranked a hundred and fortieth on this planet when she made a surprising run to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open. Since then her fan base has climbed steadily, thanks each to underdog victories (final month she defeated top-seeded Jessica Pegula on the D.C. Open to win her first singles title) and her standing amongst Filipinos because the nation’s hottest athlete since multi-weight-class boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
“I feel the sensation that Pacquiao gave the Filipinos was nice to have somebody to rally over, and when he would have fights, everybody was so excited, and it was simply an opportunity for individuals to come back collectively,” Eala said throughout a Cincinnati Open press convention in August. “I suppose my journey may give related issues like that.”
As flag-waving Filipino followers stuffed stands and gave her appearances an electrical really feel, that began to draw different spectators, at occasions driving up ticket prices—which solely appears to have amplified the excitement round her. Eala’s rising stardom is obvious all over the place: Her Instagram following has surpassed 2 million, tournaments are shifting her matches to larger arenas to accommodate excessive demand, and a video of her one-set exhibition towards Iva Jovic racked up over a million views on the U.S. Open YouTube channel inside 24 hours. Not surprisingly, “get-in ticket” costs (the most affordable obtainable) for her U.S. Open opener averaged about $350, in contrast with a reported $120 for periods on different courts on the identical time. She gained in straight units in entrance of a packed and adoring crowd.
Manufacturers are clearly paying consideration. Along with being a world-class athlete, Eala represents a singular alternative to talk to a definite, vital, and arguably under-recognized diasporic group. Present sponsors embody Nike, Globe Telecom, Babolat, Financial institution of the Philippine Islands, Milo Philippines, and Domestically juice drinks. That record is prone to develop. Only a few weeks in the past, Marriott Bonvoy announced Eala can be the brand new face of its “Tennis the World” marketing campaign within the Asia-Pacific area, linked to the 2027 Australian Open in January. (“She is genuine, inspiring, and proudly linked to the area we serve,” based on an official assertion from the model.)
The deal will be seen as a hint of what’s to come back for Eala after the U.S. Open. Nike, which has sponsored her since 2019, has reportedly upped its funding in her—a backing that can little doubt develop if she performs effectively on the event. Eala is already incomes an estimated $5 million a 12 months in endorsements, however sports activities agent Max Eisenbud has predicted that determine may rise fourfold within the 12 months or two forward, placing her within the realm of celebrity feminine athletes like Gauff and skier Eileen Gu.
After all there aren’t any ensures. Eala’s sport isn’t fairly elite at this level—everybody appears to agree that her serve wants work—however she’s recorded sufficient wins towards Prime 10 rivals to counsel that these upsets aren’t any fluke.
The Philippines has a inhabitants of 120 million, and a far-flung diaspora. Whereas Eala has turn out to be its hottest lively athlete, it isn’t historically a tennis-focused nation. But it surely seems that’s a characteristic, not a bug. Event organizers all over the world see her as bringing enthusiastic new followers to the game. “It was like a Taylor Swift live performance,” a Sky Sports activities announcer said of the Eala fandom at a Dubai event earlier this 12 months. “Possibly that may turn out to be a burden in some unspecified time in the future, however I like the truth that in the mean time, she simply appears to be flourishing.”
Certainly, Eala’s fan service is elite. She makes it some extent to talk Tagalog for no less than a part of her post-match interviews. She fulfills limitless autograph and selfie requests, appears unfazed by typically curious proof of devotion, like sign-size childhood pictures of her, and customarily strikes a modest and grateful tone. All of the admiration nonetheless surprises her, she stated after her opening-round win on the U.S. Open. “But it surely simply doesn’t get previous.”
